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The purpose of this study is to evaluate a scoring tool to help determine the presence of Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT), which is an adverse reaction to heparin. We hypothesize that this scoring tool will be very useful in excluding patients who are suspected of having HIT.

Those who are clinically suspected of having HIT will be enrolled in this study.

Other: Scoring 4Ts and Chong scale

Two physicians will independently score both the 4Ts and the Chong scale on all patients enrolled in this study.

Other: Blood draw

Patient serum will be collected to perform Serotonin Release Assay testing to verify the presence of HIT.

Detailed Description:

HIT is an immune response to heparin that can result in thrombogenic thrombocytopenia. It is often a difficult diagnosis to make, and its diagnosis is dependent upon both clinical and serologic criteria. Due to this ambiguity, increased testing and treatment may occur until serologic test results return. Recently, scoring tools have been developed to assist with the diagnosis of this disease. However, these scoring tools have yet to be validated. Thus, we plan to conduct a prospective, observational study to validate two scoring tools, the 4Ts and the Chong scale, in the diagnosis of HIT.

In order to validate these scoring tools, two physicians will independently score the 4Ts and the Chong scale for all patients suspected of having HIT. These patients will be identified if a physician has ordered HIT antibody testing using the enzyme immunoassay (EIA) method. Confirmatory testing with a serotonin release assay (SRA) will also be performed.

Eligibility

Information from the National Library of Medicine

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Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)

Sexes Eligible for Study:

All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

No

Sampling Method:

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

For this study, patients already admitted to the hospital whose physician suspects the presence of HIT will be recruited for this study. Specifically, the trigger for recruitment include patients who have a HIT antibody test ordered.

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Patients with suspected HIT.

Exclusion Criteria:

Contacts and Locations

Information from the National Library of Medicine

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00946400